Affinity ─ Beyond Branding

This book is a cultural consumer anthropology. It is about observing and understanding purchasing behavior, and what influences that behavior. Affinity is all about culture and the way we live, about the artifacts around us and how we feel or associate with them, and it is the reconnection between business and the street, between the storyteller and the listener. Storytelling is fundamental to creating affinity and leadership in our society. Brands come and go and try to re-create themselves. Good brands attach themselves and propagate values that are enduring. They can outlast the many economic cycles that are part of social transformation. Affinity is the result of an effective branding process and is the result of effective storytelling. It is the key to understanding consumer choice in the twenty-first century Affinity has immense repercussions in the political world. How do people connect not just with products but with politicians? Affinity is the clue, the key to unlocking this magic.

Martin Goldfarb is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Canada and a leading expert in the study of human behavior as it relates to the marketplace and society. He built Goldfarb Consultants into an international company with twenty-six offices throughout North America, South America, and Europe. Goldfarb has been a consultant to many national and international companies including Ford Motor Company, Toyota Europe, DeBeers, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and others. Howard Aster taught political science at McMaster University, Carleton University, and McGill University, and served as a consultant to numerous Canadian government departments and cultural organizations. He is the author or editor of eleven books and has published over one hundred articles.